Posted by curtisjs on Monday, May 30, 2016 in Blog posts.

Jack Curtis

Observations in Piazza Duomo at 18:20 on 5/17/16

After passing through Piazza Duomo for nearly every day for a week, I notice that I see the same people every trip and see them now.  It makes me wonder if these people are retired, unemployed, or simply work less frequently than Americans.  For example, I see the man in his 50’s with a popped collar and his large German Shephard every day, and he made an appearance in Piazza Duomo today.  Similar to this man, the people of Cefalù seem to have no particular destination, and in turn seem more able to enjoy each other’s presence.  What is striking here is the void of people connected to their phones.  There is a young couple who has circled the square twice tonight and seem to have nowhere to go.  In the US, everyone has somewhere to be or something to do all of the time.  Being a student at one of the most competitive universities in the United States, I know this all too well.  My average day consists of spending three hours in lecture, four more hours in lab, one hour of club meeting, and three or four hours of homework, rarely leaving time to relax and enjoy the place I’m in and the people I’m around.  The difference in lifestyle is seen in the slow and comfortable pace that people walk around Piazza Duomo.  I constantly find myself weaving in and out of foot traffic in Cefalù.  This is foreign for me because friends and family often are the ones telling me to pick up the pace.  It is impossible to say which way of living is better as there are both advantages and disadvantages to each.  People in the U.S. are rarely bored as we constantly have our to-do lists running through our minds, however we seem to experience more stress.  The people of Cefalù seem content and at ease, although I notice that two old men sitting on a bench are yawning and looking around as if they are waiting for something to happen.

Another major difference I notice is in the Sicilians dining in Piazza Duomo.  The people eating outside seem to be enjoying each other’s company more than they are enjoying the food.  In the United States, we often leave a meal as soon as the last person is finished eating, but here people stay for at least 30 minutes after everyone finishes eating.  Also, practically everyone sitting in Piazza Duomo has a drink in one hand and a cigarette in the other which is rare to see in the US, especially on a weekday.  While these habits would seem to lead to unhealthy citizens, I only note a handful of obese people.

One of the more subtle differences observe in Piazza Duomo is the distance between people in conversation.  Everyone stands much closer to each other when talking, and people also sit closer to each other when on benches and at dining tables.  For example, two men have an entire bench to themselves, but they sat touching legs and shoulders – leaving the rest of the bench empty.  In the US, there is usually at least a foot between people (especially men) sitting on a bench.  This is a result of cultural differences between the US and Sicily.  There is an overall greater level of trust and comfort between people here that is difficult to explain but easy to see.  I also notice that there are three types of groups sitting together in Piazza Duomo – married couples, groups of two to five men, and groups of two to five women.  It is interesting to see that there aren’t any large groups comprised of both men and women.  In addition, I observe that a vast majority of the people here are either under the age of 10 or over the age of 40 and are generally dressed in jeans and a collared shirt – people our age seem to be nonexistent.

In conclusion, the people in Piazza Duomo (and to a larger extent all of Sicily) seem to be less stressed, more comfortable with each other, and are less occupied than Americans.  While it is somewhat difficult to determine which lifestyle is “better,” the differences in the way of life are clear to see and easy to observe.  It would be interesting to return in five or ten years to see if these cultural differences are still present.